Crazy fun weekend, complete with a blizzard, made a fantastic 30th birthday even more festive~
as the true party people tromped through the snow to Local 121 (the most beautiful/best venue in Providence) to help our dear Sarah Dawson celebrate!

We all had such a blast, & all the musicians were so much fun~ everybody looked  great in their 1920's garb.
Super cute.

Somewhere in the night, my producer & fellow band mate Myles Baer handed me an unmarked CD which was the master to Hobgoblin's Hat.
He is making me wait 2/3 more days to be sure nothing "maxes out", which is part of the wizardry I trust him with...

But oh boy oh boy!

Of course, by the end of the night we would forget the bag containing the CD ,
of course the next day with it's foot of snow would make sledding between Kim Lamothe's house & her landlord's at the top of the hill be a Dr. Suessian dream ,
& of course we would drive back Sarah & her out of town guest back to Prov, where in her apt. they had the bag containing the CD strewn on the floor of her living room with the rest of her birthday presents ... hooray!

but that wouldn't stop us from all crashing Myles' house for his chili, which should win an award.

Ted & I should've won the ensuing Trivial Pursuit game, but in light of all our blessings,
it was just too much to ask.
;-)

Blessed Be, & Peace this Winter Solstice.

So, this is a little song that was never officially released, but is on some rare bootlegs...


Some of you have asked for the lyrics, ok One of you...
this was a little poem that I'd written for a boyfriend I had at 15.


Pale Muslin Night
Didn't I come to you like a bride
a face round & white as the moon behind her shadow

Dressed like a bride
skirts in pale muslin
hopeful & ephemerally white

Moon sheds her shadow
lay down beside me
deep under blankets of night

Pale Muslin Night
Didn't I come to you like a bride
a face round & white as the moon behind her shadow

Did the stars raise their faces (no no)
or turn 'round to look
still I
spelled our names in the sky

If you are out & about downtown Providence, be sure to check out the Westminster Stories exhibit...
both myself & my dear friend Kim Lamothe are featured in this week's spotlight on Music!

You can also check it out online....

http://themuseumonline.com/westminsterstories/

Here is a new place to listen to Full Tracks from my first album "Hopey", & buy the Mp3s if you like what you hear.......

http://lala.com/zboB

Lala

Pretty cool!

The strangest & most beautiful of the late year shows will happen Nov 22, with my band the Land of Nod~

We will be playing one last public show before the Cd release Feb 13, at a pretty place called The Mill
http://www.musicatthemill.com/


with several truly amazing bands:

The Glass Jars http://www.myspace.com/theglassjars

The Accident That Led Me To The World http://www.myspace.com/tatlmttw

& The World Is Not Flat http://www.myspace.com/theworldisnotflat


There will be an organic tea tasting (!) & if you bring in your own mug you get $ off of the admission price...
there will be music, & wonderful smiles,
& you , if you can come xox

<3 Allysen

Do you know of Beach House?

You should...

I came to the Leonard Cohen table a little late.

When I first started playing out with my strange finger style & poetry, some said that I reminded them of Leonard & was I influenced by him?

But- by a strange mix-up in my mind I'd always thought he was the one who sang "Vincent" & I thanked them & said no............

(This was before the internets & Last FM fact Wikipedia checking etc., I am old.)


So anyway, I was made a mix cd by my dear friend & now I learning that I may love Leonard Cohen~ I especially loved this video...

embedding forbidden so you'll have to click.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH-kFnJYgIg

It was towards the end when I was transformed, elated. I was moved enough to write a little poem for Leonard, which he'll never read but maybe you will.




Leonard (I was afraid you held a harmonica)


When you raised your hands
to your lips

I was afraid

you'd lost your mystic
& became like all the others

but it wasn't true

you blew through them
a whistling dove

& shut the doors of your eyes
& only the wind waved in

& just once
you offered a sip

of bitterness

the deep & rich
which you kept
mostly for yourself

2010 is a good year to do a CD release, right?


Well, due to a busy busy Summer, & time/travel...actual timetravel not being available to the general public yet,
it is looking like a 2010 (Jan) release for Hobgoblin's Hat after all.

This is a good thing, 3 more months to work out the details, take some decent pictures & save my indie pennies since I am doing this DYI.

I thank my producer Myles Baer, & my bassist Brendan Whipple, & others who have put their love & music into the new album, Jared Smith, amongst others.

To those of you who have been so patient, please be a little more patient :)

I am working on it myself ;-)



******
FEB 13th will be the date- at Church St. Coffeehouse in little Warren,RI
See you there xoxoxo